Effect of nutritional copper deficiency on carrageenin edema in the rat

The effects of nutritional copper deficiency on carrageenin edema in the rat were investigated with emphasis on studying the correlation between the degree of copper deficiency and the degree of edema. Carrageenin paw edema in both copper-sufficient and copper-deficient groups of rats was compared after either 20, 40, or 60 d on respective diets. The degree of copper deficiency was quantitated by analyzing total copper concentrations in a number of tissues. Other copper dependent parameters were also determined. Results indicated that: (1) although copper sufficient rats showed relatively little change in the degree of edema, copper-deficient rats showed a steady and significant increase in edema from d 20 to 40 to 60; (2) paw edema in copper-deficient animals was highly and negatively correlated to the concentrations of copper in the liver; the correlation with liver Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase activity, however, was inconsistent; (3) paw edema was not correlated either to copper concentration in tissues other than liver or to plasma ceruloplasmin activity; and (4) aggravation of carrageenin edema in copper-deficient animals seemed to be mediated via an as yet unknown secondary effect of copper deficiency.     

Import of a precursor protein into chloroplasts is inhibited by the herbicide glyphosate

Import of the precursor to 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (pEPSPS) into chloroplasts is inhibited by the herbicide glyphosate. Inhibition of import is maximal at glyphosate concentrations of ≥10 μm and occurs only when pEPSPS is present as a ternary complex of enzyme–shikimate-3-phosphate–glyphosate. Glyphosate alone had no effect on the import of pEPSPS since it is not known to interact with the enzyme in the absence of shikimate-3-phosphate. Experiments with wild-type and glyphosate-resistant mutant forms of pEPSPS show that inhibition of import is directly proportional to the binding constants for glyphosate. Inhibition of import is thus a direct consequence of glyphosate binding to the enzyme–shikimate-3-phosphate complex. The potential for non-specific effects of glyphosate on the chloroplast transport mechanism has been discounted by showing that import of another chloroplast-designated protein was unaffected by high concentrations of glyphosate and shikimate-3-phosphate. The mechanism of import inhibition by glyphosate is consistent with a precursor unfolding/refolding model.     

Metabolism of glyphosate in Pseudomonas sp. strain LBr

Metabolism of glyphosate (N-phosphonomethylglycine) by Pseudomonas sp. strain LBr, a bacterium isolated from a glyphosate process waste stream, was examined by a combination of solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance experiments and analysis of the phosphonate composition of the growth medium. Pseudomonas sp. strain LBr was capable of eliminating 20 mM glyphosate from the growth medium, an amount approximately 20-fold greater than that reported for any other microorganism to date. The bacterium degraded high levels of glyphosate, primarily by converting it to aminomethylphosphonate, followed by release into the growth medium. Only a small amount of aminomethylphosphonate (about 0.5 to 0.7 mM), which is needed to supply phosphorus for growth, could be metabolized by the microorganism. Solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of strain LBr grown on 1 mM [2-13C,15N]glyphosate showed that about 5% of the glyphosate was degraded by a separate pathway involving breakdown of glyphosate to glycine, a pathway first observed in Pseudomonas sp. strain PG2982. Thus, Pseudomonas sp. strain LBr appears to possess two distinct routes for glyphosate detoxification.     

Potency of L-364,718 as an antagonist of the behavioral effects of peripherally administered cholecystokinin

A new antagonist of the peripheral cholecystokinin receptor, L-364,718, was found to block the reductions in food intake and exploratory activity induced by intraperitoneal administration of cholecystokinin octapeptide sulfate. L-364,718 significantly reversed the cholecystokinin-induced reduction in feeding at doses of 10 micrograms/kg - 10 mg/kg i.p. L-364,718 significantly reversed the cholecystokinin-induced reduction in exploratory activity at doses of 500 ng/kg - 10 mg/kg i.p. The time course of antagonist activity of L-364,718 was immediate to 90 minutes after intraperitoneal administration. L-364,718 had no significant effect on food intake or exploratory activity when administered alone, over the dose range of 100 ng/kg-10 mg/kg i.p. This compound appears to be at least one hundred times more potent than proglumide or benzotript as an antagonist of the behavioral effects of peripherally administered cholecystokinin.     

5-Enolpyruvyl shikimate 3-phosphate synthase from Escherichia coli. Identification of Lys-22 as a potential active site residue

5-Enolpyruvyl shikimate 3-phosphate synthase catalyzes the reversible condensation of phosphoenolpyruvate and shikimate 3-phosphate to yield 5-enolpyruvyl shikimate 3-phosphate and inorganic phosphate. The enzyme is a target for the nonselective herbicide glyphosate (N-phosphonomethylglycine). In order to determine the role of lysine residues in the mechanism of action of this enzyme as well as in its inhibition by glyphosate, chemical modification studies with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate were undertaken. Incubation of the enzyme with the reagent in the absence of light resulted in a time-dependent loss of enzyme activity. The inactivation followed pseudo first-order and saturation kinetics with Kinact of 45 microM and a maximum rate constant of 1.1 min-1. The inactivation rate increased with increase in pH, with a titratable pK of 7.6. Activity of the inactive enzyme was restored by addition of amino thiol compounds. Reaction of enzyme with pyridoxal 5'-phosphate was prevented in the presence of substrates or substrate plus glyphosate, an inhibitor of the enzyme. Upon 90% inactivation, approximately 1 mol of pyridoxal 5'-phosphate was incorporated per mol of enzyme. The azomethine linkage between pyridoxal 5'-phosphate and the enzyme was reduced by NaB3H4. Tryptic digestion followed by reverse phase chromatographic separation resulted in the isolation of a peptide which contained the pyridoxal 5'-phosphate moiety as well as 3H label. By amino acid sequencing of this peptide, the modified residue was identified as Lys-22. The amino acid sequence around Lys-22 is conserved in bacterial, fungal, as well as plant enzymes suggesting that this region may constitute a part of the enzyme's active site.     

Mechanism of the EPSP synthase catalyzed reaction: evidence for the lack of a covalent carboxyvinyl intermediate in catalysis

In order to detect covalent reaction intermediates in the 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate (EPSP) synthase reaction, we have investigated the interaction of EPSP synthase with the reaction product EPSP. An exchange of EPSP-methylene protons could be demonstrated by incubating EPSPS with EPSP in D2O. Since trace amounts of contaminating Pi would lead to reversal of EPSPS reaction and hence methylene proton exchange, we added pyruvate kinase, ADP, Mg++ and K+. Under these conditions, any contaminating Pi that is converted to PEP is trapped as ATP. No exchange of EPSP protons with those of the solvent could be detected in the presence of this trap system, suggesting that enzyme-bound EPSP is unable to form a covalent tetrahedral complex. Incorporation of [14C] from [14C]-S3P and [14C]-PEP into EPSP could be detected, but only in the absence of a PEP (or Pi) trap system. This indicates that for the exchange reaction, Pi is required, and also indicates the absence of a covalent intermediate, unless the carboxyvinyl-enzyme-bound S3P is completely restricted from exchange.